Real Lawyer Reacts to Miracle on 34th Street

When a nice old man who claims to be Santa Claus is institutionalized as insane, a young lawyer decides to defend him by arguing in court that he is the real thing. Only the lawyers can save the day in this Christmas classic. Just like in real life!

Stay until the end for my Legal Realism Grade!

Miracle on 34th Street (the 1947 version) is probably my favorite holiday movie. Where else are you able to get a great courtroom drama and a holiday message of good cheer in the same movie? I was really worried to review this movie looking for legal accuracy, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it holds up!

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Got a legal movie or TV show you'd like me to critique? Let me know in the comments!

All clips used for fair use commentary, criticism, and educational purposes. See Hosseinzadeh v. Klein, 276 F.Supp.3d 34 (S.D.N.Y. 2017); Equals Three, LLC v. Jukin Media, Inc., 139 F. Supp. 3d 1094 (C.D. Cal. 2015).

Typical legal disclaimer from a lawyer (occupational hazard): This is not legal advice, nor can I give you legal advice. Sorry! Everything here is for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact your attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem. Nothing here should be construed to form an attorney client relationship. Also, some of the links in this post may be affiliate links, meaning, at no cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. But if you click, it really helps me make more of these videos!

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[supersizesenpai]

Cracking up literately seconds into the video with the cold delivery of "Hearsay" LMFAOOOO

[FourthDerivative]

I don't care how legally inaccurate it is, "The State of New York concedes the existence of Santa Claus" remains one of the funniest lines ever recorded on film.

[donaldsanders]

As a practicing attorney for over 42+ years (now retired), I've always maintained that the REAL MIRACLE had not been that Santa Claus came to New York and worked at Macy's, but rather that his attorney, Mr. Dayley, walked into the Judge's office less than a week before Christmas, requested a formal competency hearing for his client, and promptly received a setting on that competency hearing to commence the following Monday, December 23, and conclude late the next afternoon, Christmas Eve.

[classyassmothafucka]

"My Daddy said he's real"

"Hearsay"

OBJECTION! TOO SAVAGE!

[LegalEagle]

Funny story, this video would have come out on the day after Thanksgiving, but a certain movie studio made a copyright claim on it and blocked it. Merry friggin Xmas! But thankfully they released their claim pretty quick. A holiday miracle!

[conormurphy]

I love it when people crush the joy of Christmas with cold hard facts, really warms the cockles of my heart.

[aliendroid]

Question: have you EVER worked in retail during the holidays? I'd say every department store should have a therapist on their payroll, especially during that time of the year.

[Kruhn]

Objection. Has the Legal Eagle researched and given the penalties for the assault and other charges in 1947? Mr. Kringle cannot be sentenced under laws that weren't on the books during the events of Miracle on Thirty- Fourth Street.

[VampByDay]

Objection: In the 1940s, mental illness was much less understood, sufferers were much more maligned, and eccentricities were much less tolerated than present day. As a result, jurors of the day may have believed the burden of proof to be satisfied just by getting a person on the stand to declare himself Santa Claus under oath. Under that context, the defense’s actions seem more intelligent. They know they have to convince the jury that it isn’t crazy to believe in Santa Claus.

The history of mental illness in law is a very sad affair. I know you said you aren’t familiar with mental illness law, but look up the history of it sometime if you have a chance, it is really bad. Allen Turing off the top of my head (though he was under UK law.)

As always, love your show. Thank you for producing it. Also, going to keep recommending Bridge of Spies

[lukemcconnell]

Objection:
At 22:52 you’ve used a pencil to make red pen marks on the exam sheet. Your honor I move to reopen the Salem witch trials.

[imthetube]

Spongebob Squarepants episode "Krabs vs. Plankton" when Plankton plans and succeeds to fake an injury inside the Krusty Krab then sues Mr. Krabs.

And/or

Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy episode "Keeper of the Reaper" when Billy and Mandy go to court for custody of Grim.

[shamalamadingdong]

Santa: "Now wait just a minute!"

Lawyer: "Trespassing."

[Solutad]

I've genuinely never laughed so hard at a video's cold open in my entire life.

[darrylgonzalez]

Funniest legal line in this movie:
Judge: Tommy, you do know the difference between the truth and a lie, do you?
Tommy: Gosh, everyone knows you shouldn't tell a lie, especially in court!

[therockergirl]

My great-grandfather won an Oscar for writing this story and I'm so excited to see a video on it!

[wayneigoe]

I love this movie, because it has a special place in my heart... My dad and I actually were in a community theater production of this movie. Fittingly, he was Thomas Mara (the lawyer) and I was cast as the kiddo, Tommy. It was an experience I won't forget, it was memorable and fun.

[IncendiarySolution]

If there is one thing Ive taken away from this, it's "The bailiff will tackle you"

[PatricksCrazyPlace]

"Because my daddy told me so, didn't you daddy?"
"Hearsay"

Okay, I laughed at that way harder than I should have, lol.

[MexiSword]

"That's a positive ID."
Dang man, I laughed so hard at that one.

[nolanboles]

Objection: The "hard end of an umbrella" is called the "ferrule."